by Matthew Westwood, TheAustralian.news.com.au
DECODER Ring combines guitars, electronica, on-stage projections and a pride in setting itself apart from other Australian bands.
The Sydney rock band is part of the biggest Australian contingent to travel to Austin, Texas, for the influential South by Southwest music conference in March.
"While we are proudly Australian, our sound has never been distinctly Australian before," guitarist Matt FitzGerald said yesterday. The 30 Australian acts taking part include The Avalanches and Something for Kate from Melbourne, End of Fashion and Gyroscope from Perth and Sydney's Wolfmother and Sarah Blasko.
The event attracted submissions from more than 8000 bands around the world, including 420 from Australia and New Zealand.
Each band at SxSW is given a one-hour concert slot before an an audience of record company executives, concert promoters and agents. The Australian Trade Commission, which has a music office in Los Angeles, has attended for four years. It runs a promotional stand and hosts a barbecue where 10 acts perform.
The John Butler Trio and Missy Higgins are among Australian acts to have gained a foothold in the US by playing at SxSW. Phil Tripp, a Sydney-based representative for SxSW, said at least 10 major deals had been signed with Australian and New Zealand bands after taking part in the conference.
Local acts had the energy that US agents were looking for, he said, because they were "blooded" by playing in pubs.
"Australian bands play their hearts out before they even get a chance to record," Mr Tripp said.
Bands paid their own way to Texas for the event, but those from Western Australia received a state government grant.
Mr Tripp said Decoder Ring was a "sleeper band" that could capture the interest of US agents. Franz Ferdinand, The Darkness and Norah Jones are among the left-field acts boosted by SxSw appearances in recent years.
Decoder Ring has broadened its audience in Australia through its AFI award-winning score for the film Somersault, and by playing festivals such as Big Day Out and Homebake.
The time was right to head to the US, FitzGerald said, because the band had something "unique and worthy for the world stage".
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